Originally Published PMPN November 2000
PRODUCT UPDATE
Bags & Pouches Offer Barrier Advantages
Bag and pouch materials keep products safe from environmental influences.
A peelable
Tyvek pouch uses a patented peel technology that eliminates the need for
the Tyvek to be heat-seal coated. The Core-Peel system, consisting of separate
coextruded seal and peel layers laminated to polyester, is designed to embed
itself into the Tyvek substrate. When the resulting IntegraPack pouch is opened,
the action breaks through the independent peel layer, leaving a visual indication
of seal integrity on the substrate. Pouch opening is clean and fiber free. Pouches
are offered plain or printed with such options as a thumb or tear notch, chevron
design, corner opening, a pouch-loading lip, and custom sizes. Rexam
Medical Packaging, Mundelein, IL.
Customized
die-cut pouches are available for medical and pharmaceutical applications.
These shaped pouches can be designed to include such closing and dispensing
devices as pour spouts, zippers, peelable closures, valves, and pumps, as well
as other elements such as tear notches, grommets, rounded corners, and perforated
gussets. Pouches can be produced in a variety of sizes from nylon, foil, polypropylene,
polyester, polyethylene, and other materials. The pouches can incorporate high-performance
adhesive structures that provide moisture and oxygen barriers, puncture resistance,
or tolerance of sterilization temperatures. The manufacturer's pouch-making
capabilities include in-line die-cutting and eight-color rotogravure film printing.
Kapak Corp.,
St. Louis Park, MN.
Printed and
unprinted pouch materials are offered to accommodate a wide range of healthcare
applications. The Pharma-Pouch line consists of 15 foil-based formulations whose
different properties enable customers to be supplied with the optimal pouch
material for the particular type and quantity of product to be packaged. Several
of the materials are designed for use in child-resistant applications. Materials
specifically suited for packaging tablets, capsules, gel caps, lotions, powders,
towelettes, and other products are available. Small-run printed materials produced
from a master roll inventory can be delivered in three to four weeks. Reynolds
Metals Co., Richmond, VA.
Premade
custom-sized protective bags for large products are available in perforated
rollstock. Bag-on-a-Roll bags are suited for operations that cannot accommodate
on-site bag-making equipment. They are offered in a variety of materials and
in sizes with openings up to 78 in. wide and depths to 240 in. Film-foam laminations,
air cushioning, and foam constructions are available. The bags are shipped poly-bagged.
Pactiv Corp., Lake Forest, IL.
A bottom-forming
web provides an economical alternative to using coated top webs. Available
in clear and blue versions, coextruded, thermoformable DirectSeal films can
be sealed to uncoated Tyvek or uncoated paper. The shallow-, medium-, and deep-draw
forming films with nylon offer clarity and toughness. They withstand EtO and
radiation methods of sterilization, and their lack of a coating helps to minimize
sterilization time. Packages made with the technology provide evidence of seal
integrity prior to opening. Pechiney
Plastic Packaging, Chicago, IL.
Bulk bags featuring
one-piece woven polypropylene or polyethylene construction offer strength
and durability. Rhino bulk bags are sewn at an angle that creates a cone-shaped
top and bottom; the design provides extra room for filling and facilitates discharge
of product, with the bag folding naturally to make the latter procedure efficient.
An emptied bag collapses into a flat gusseted shape for easy storage before
reuse, recycling, or disposal. Reinforcement bands strengthen the bag's body
material, and four corner-located lifting straps sewn to the reinforced areas
of the bag feature a breaking-strength rating of 6000 lb. Custom Packaging
Systems Inc., Manistee, MI.
Flexible packaging materials are designed to meet the diverse demands of the medical and diagnostic industries. Packages can be tailored to meet required porosity levels, mechanical strength and barrier properties, seal integrity, and sterilization methods. TechniPeel and TechniVent pouches, featuring Tyvek for gas and radiation sterilization, and Technifoil pouches for barriers, are available for quick deliveries. Technipaq Inc., Crystal Lake, IL.
Copyright ©2000 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
